Plain English Meaning

A vertical strip on the screen that shows how fast the aircraft is climbing or descending. A pointer moves up when climbing and down when descending, with a number giving the exact rate.

Full Definition

On a glass cockpit primary flight display, the VSI tape is the vertical strip alongside the altitude tape that shows the aircraft's rate of climb or descent in feet per minute. A moving pointer or bar travels up or down the scale to indicate the current vertical speed, and a digital readout typically shows the exact value.

Context Anchor

Seen on electronic instrument displays during the instrument scan, especially while holding altitude, , climbing, or descending.